Suction automatic timer



May 16, 1933. J. L.- ARTHUR I 1,909,038

' sucnou AUTOMATIC TIMER Filed Sept. 19. 1928 an I z 33a.-- I I .60 l i68- 1 g I i A Z 94 '75 80 if n" Qnwnkoo JAMES L. ARTHUR Patented May 16,1933 UNITED STA ES PATENT OFFICE JAMES L. ARTHUR, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA,ASSIGIIOR TO DEICO-REMY CORPORATION,

' OF DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE SUGTION AUTOMATIC TIMERApplication filed September 19, 1928. Serial No. 306,959.

This invention relates to ignition apparatusfor internal combustionengines, and has among its objects to provide improved means forcontrolling the ignition in response to engine load conditions. Morepart cularly 1t is an object to provide a device WhlCh can easilyattached to conventional forms of 1gn1- tion apparatus having either themanual or the speed responsive control of the lgnitlon timer, or both,said device providlnga control of ignition timing in response to engineload.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing, wherein a preferred embodiment of one form of the presentinvention is clearly shown.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus with the distributor head removedandshowing diagrammatically the fluid pressure connection to the intakemanifold of the internal combustion engine.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of ignition apparatus provided with thepresent invention and is taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the lgIlltion unit, taken on the line33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantial- 1y on the line 4-4 of Fig.2. I

In the drawing, 20 designates an ignition timer housing provided with acylindrical shank at 21 adapted to be received by an aperture in anengine frame. Housing 20 is divided by a partition 22 and by a breakerlever plate 23 into compartments '24, 25 and 26, the compartment 26being covered by a distributor head 27. The shank 21 and the partition22 providebearings for a hollow shaft 30, which supports at its upperend a speed responsive device 31 of the conventlona-l flat weight type,a type well known 1n the art. This device 31 is connected with a hollowsleeve 32 providing a timer cam 33 and a seat for a distributor rotor34, and is connected with a shaft 36 which is located within the shaft30 and capable of relative movement thereto. Sleeve 32 is rotatablymounted movement between the cam 33 and the shaft upon a reduced end 35of shaft 36. Cam 33 cooperates with a breaker lever 33a.- to separatecontacts 331).

The shaft 30 carries a driving gear 37 attached by pin 38. Shafts 30 and36 are connected by means of'a pin 40 which extends throughdiametrically opposite spiral slots 41 in shaft 30 and through alongitudinally extending notch 42 adjacent the lower end of shaft 36.Pin 40 is supported at its end by means of a grooved collar 43 slidableaxially along the shaft 30.

Motion is transmitted from the gear 37 and from shaft 30 to the shaft 36by means of the pin and slot connections mentioned. From the shaft 36motion is transmitted to the cam 33 and rotor 34 by means of the speedresponsive device 31 in the usual manner. The device 31 functions toproduce relative 36 in response to variations in engine speed. Byshifting the collar 43 axially the shaft 36 can be moved relative to theshaft 30 in order to control the ignition timing by means other than inresponse to variations in engine speed.

The means for shifting the collar 43 includes a lever 50 mounted on ashaft 51 and attached thereto by means of a pin 52. Within the chamber24 there is located a yoke 53 having its hub 54 attached by set screws55 to the shaft 51 and having its branches provided with pins 56 forcooperating with the grooved collar 43. The lever 50 constitutes amovable member supported by the ignition housing or support 20', andlever 50 is adapted to be actuated manually or by other means forcontrolling the timing of the ignition. In conventional types ofignition apparatus such levers are generally connected with the sparklever on the, steering column of an auto mobile in any suitable fashion.

In one of its aspects the present invention provides an attachment fortypes of ignition apparatus which are provided with a movable membersuch as the lever 50 for controlling the ignition timing in response toengine 1 load conditions. This attachment includes the bracket 60 whichis rigidl mounted or fixed upon the ignition timer housing 20 in anydesirable manner. In the present instance the bracket 60 is providedwith an arm 61 which is parallelly disposed with respect to the timerunit and forms a support for an expansion chamber 62, which is securelyfixed to the arm 61 as by means of rivets 63 passing through the arm andthrough an end wall of the chamber, member 62. The expansion chamber 62is preferably of cylindrical cup formation, as illustrated in Fig, 2,and when mounted upon the bracket has its open end normally disposedtoward the ignition unit to be controlled.

The open end of the cup member 62 is provided with a cover or closure64, sealing the chamber 62 to outside air influence, and is retainedthereon in any desirable manner. Within the expansion chamber 62 thereis provided a pneumatic 65, which may be a bellows having a movable wallor head 66 connected to reentrant curved or folded wall 67, whichterminates in a flange 68 securely fixed to the cover member 64. Thisprovides a sealed passage within the cup 62 defined by the end and sideWalls thereof joined by the annular portion of the closure 64, and thedeformed wall of the pneumatic 65. Through a central aperture of thecover member there is provided a nut or double spring seating member 69that has a threaded engagement with the cover member 64, as indicated at70.

The spring seating member 69 is provided with a poly onal head 71 forengagement with a wrenc or other tool for adjusting the same, and has alongitudinal bore 72 enlarged at either end to form spring seats 73 and7 4, for receiving one end each of the springs 75 and 76 respectively.An operating member is provided for connecting the movable wall of thepneumatic with the timer shifting lever 50, and in this instance takesthe form of a link 77. The link 77 is provided at one end with a singlenut 78 to engage the threaded end 79, and near the other end with athreaded portion 80 engaged by the abutment or lock nuts 81 and 82, andat the last mentioned end is bent as at 83 to engage an apertured ear 84in the timer operating arm 50.

The springs 75 and 76 possess distinct features of motive force, and areso designed that their difi'erential capacity, when assembled with thefluid pressure unit and the ignition unit, will make for accuracy andefli'ciency in operation. The difference in their size and motive forcewill depend principally upon the size and resistance offered to movementby the elements to which they are to be attached. In the particularelements of the ilis obvious if the conditions so favored, the order ofspring tensions and sizes might be reversed, but in any instance when inassembled relation the differential force exerted by the advance and theretard springs when coupled with the pneumatic would come to a normalstate of rest similar to that illustrated in Fig. 2, and a slightvariation in fluid pressure upon the walls of the bellows '65 wouldcause an adjustment of the spring and rod linkage, inaugurating a changein the" position of the lever '50 which advances or retards the sparkdelivered by the ignition unit, depending on whether the bellows head 66moves one way or another.

In assembling the suction control unit, the nuts 81 and 82 are run uponthe rod or link 77, then the timer retarding spring 75 is slipped overthe rod to engage the stop nuts 8182, and over the rod is then placedthe nut 69 so that the spring receiving recess 73 engages the oppositeend of the spring 75,

and presents the spring recess 74 for the reception of the timeradvancing spring 76 which is then passed over the end of the rod 77. Therod is then passed through the end wall 66 of the pneumatic and threadedwith the nut 78 which is preferably secured to the end wall 66 of thepneumatic, as by solder, or other preferred means which willsubstantially seal the chamber 62 against leakage past the nut 78 andhead 66. The nut 69 is then run into the cover 64 to any convenientpoint which may later be adjusted to suit the existing conditions ofoperation. The pneumatic 65 with its difi'erential spring assembly isthen enclosed by the protective casing 62 and the closure sealed inplace. The fluid pressure control unit is now ready to be attached toany of the conventional forms of ignition apparatus to be controlled, itbeing only necessary to attach the bracket to the unit and connect therod 77 to the operating lever 50 of the ignition unit.

The suction provided within the cup or chamber 62 and about thepneumatic 65, is connected by a hole 90 through a nipple 91 and thenceby the pipe 94 with a passage 95 which is provided by a carburetor 96attached to an engine intake manifold 97. The nipple 91 is secured inthe end wall of the chamber 62 as by the overturned or peened edge 92,and is provided with a coupling 93 which embraces the pipe 94 and clampsit to the nipple 91, making an air-tight connection therewith. Thebutterfly throttle valve 98 of the carburetor is provided with a shaft99 operated by a lever 100 and a link 101, which leads to lustratedembodiment, I have shown the rethe manually controlled throttle memberat tard spring 75 as the stronger and placed without the suction unit,tending to collapse the pneumatic. The timer advancing spring 76 isshown as the weaker, and is disposed within the suction unit and alsowithin the pneumatic, tending to expand the same. It

the wheel or instrument board of the vehicle. The suction of the engineintake between the. engine and the throttle will be greatest 'whenthe'engine speed is greatest and the throttle is partly closed,corresponding to conditions driving an automobile at a relatively highspeed over a relatively level road. The increase in suction orsub-atmospheric pressure in the intake 97 will result in the more orless expansion of the bellows 65, as viewed in Fig. 2. v

The operation of the invention is as follows: When the engine isoperating under partial load, the throttle will be only partly open,therefore the engine intake suction will be higher than when thethrottle is wide open. By reason of this, there will be a partial vacuumin the chamber 62 about the pneumatic 65, tending to adjust the linkagebetween the bellows 65 and the lever 50. The collar 43 will be movedupwardlyfor the purpose of advancing the spark as the engine loaddecreases; on the other hand, when the engine load increases, thethrottle will be opened relatively wide and the suction to the engineintake will decrease, thereby relieving the vacuum of the chamber 62about the bellows 65 and permitting the spring to adjust the linkagebetween the bellows head 66 and the timer operating lever 50. Thisaction tends to move the collar 43 downward- ,ly to retard the spark.This action of the collar 43 is based upon the assumption that therotation of the cam 33 is clockwise, as indicated by arrow A in Fig. 1.If the rotation of the cam 33 were counter-clockwise, it is obvious thatthe direction of the spiral slots 41 would need to be reversed.

By means of the ignition setting device just described, the degree ofspark advance will depend, first, upon the differential tension of thecompound spring structure 75 and 76, and secondly, upon the degree ofvacuum or suction acting upon the bellows 65 within the chamber 62. Agreater vacuum in that chamber will cause a greater advance, and adecrease in vacuum therein will allow the spring assembly to retard thespark. The degree of advance will therefore depend at all times upon thedegree of suction in the chamber 62 and about the bellows 65, if onedisregards the differential action of the compound springs.

By this structure I have provided a fluid pressure controlling unitwhich is simple in design, eflicient in operation and that is adaptableto work upon any of the conventional ignition units as. illustrated. Thechamber 62 providesaprotective casin for the delicate pneumatic 65, andprovi es a unit more responsive to fluid pressure changes than hasheretofore been defined. The springs 75 and 76 being-of differentialcapacity in their motive forces, and the adjustable abutment members 81and 82 providing a sensitive and sure adjusting feature, that readilyadapts the fluid pressure unit to any of the existing timer units.Through the adj ustable spring seat 69, provisionis made for closeassignment of the differential values of the springs 7 5 and 76 inrelation to the pneumatic 65 as a whole, and enables the operator tocondition the apparatus to the degree of sensitivity demand by thecircumstances.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention, as hereindisclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood thatother forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claimswhich follow.

What is claimed is as follows 1. A fluid pressure controlling unit forattachment to and for controlling the timing lever of an ignition unit,comprising a case; a bracket attached to said case; an expansion chambermounted on the bracket and having a closure member facing said ignitionunit; a bellows within said chamber and mounted on the closure member; adouble spring cup adjustably secured to the closure member, and providedwith a central aperture; means passing through the spring cup andadapted to operatively connect the bellows with a movable member of theignition unit; a helical spring about said means within the bellows andseated against the cup tending to expand the bellows; and a helicalspring of differential tension embracing said means exterior of thechamber, tending to collapse the bellows.

2. A fluid pressure controlling unit, for attachment to and forcontrolling the timing lever of an ignition unit, comprising a case;

a bracket attached to said case; an expansion chamber mounted on thebracket and having a closure member facing said ignition unit; a bellowswithin said chamber and mounted on the closure member; a double springcup adjustably secured to the closure member, and rovided with a centralaperture; means passing through the spring cup and adapted tooperativelconnect the bellows with a movable mem r of the ignition unit;differential tensioned helical springs surrounding said means andengaging the bellows andspring cup within the chamber, and the springcup and an abutment on said means without the chamber.

3. A fluid pressure controlling unit, for attachment to and forcontrolling the timing lever of an ignition unit, comprising a case;

a bracket attached to said case; an expansion chamber mounted on thebracket and having a closure member facing said ignition unit; a bellowswithin said chamber and mounted on the closure member; a-double springcup adjustably secured to the closure member, and provided with acentral aperture; springs of differential capacity seated in said cup,one within the bellows to expand the same, and another without thebellows, tending to collapse the said bellows; and means for operativelyconnecting the bellows with a movable part of the ignition unit.

4. A fluid pressure controlling unit, for attachment to and forcontrolling the timing lever of an ignition unit, comprising a case;

all

a bracket attached to said case; an expansion chamber mounted on thebracket and having a closure member facing said ignition unit; a bellowswithin said chamber and mounted on the closure member; a double springcup adjustably secured to the closure member, and provided with acentral aperture; differential spring mechanism within and Without thebellows for resiliently supporting a movable wall of the bellows againstthe spring cup; and means for operatively connecting the bellows-with amovable part of the ignition unit.

5. A fluid pressure controlling unit, for attachment to and forcontrolling the timing lever of an ignition unit, comprising a case; abracket attached to said case; an expansion chamber mounted on thebracket and having a closure member facing said ignition unit; a bellowswithin said chamber having a movable wall parallelly disposed to saidclosure member; spring seating means adjustably secured to said closuremember; spring means within the chamber tending to expand the bellows;spring means without the cham ber tending to collapse the bellows; andmeans for operably connecting the movable wall of the bellows with amovable part of the ignition unit.

6. A fluid pressure controlling unit, for attachment to and forcontrolling the timing lever of an ignition unit, comprising a case; abracket attached to said case; an expansion chamber mounted on thebracket and having a closure member facing said ignition unit; a bellowswithin said chamber and mounted on the closure member; and differentialmeans connecting the bellows to control the ignition unit 7. A fluidpressure controlling unit, for attachment to and for controlling thetiming lever cl an ignition unit, comprising a case; a bracket attachedto said case; an expansion chamber mounted on the bracket and having aclosure member facing said ignition unit; a bellows within said chamberand mounted on the closure member, and differential spring meansoperating with said bellows to control the ignition unit.

8. A fluid pressure controlling unit, for

attachment to and for controlling the tim-.

ing lever of an ignition unit, comprising a case; a bracket attached tosaid case; an exansion chamber mounted on the bracket and aving aclosure member facing said ignition unit; a pneumatic within saidchamber and mounted on the closure member, and dif ferential resilientmeans operating upon the pneumatic to control the ignition unit.

9. A fluid pressure control unit for igni-.-

tion apparatus comprising, in combination, a case; a bracket attached tosaid case; an expansion chamber; an apertured closure for the chamber; abellows within the chamber attached to the said closure; a recessed nuttion apparatus comprising, in combination, I

an expansion chamber; an apertured closure for the chamber; a bellowswithin the chamber attached to the said closure; a recessed nut threadedinto the aperture of said closure; an operative for said-bellows carriedby said nut, and spring means differentially connected to the bellowsand operative for modifyin the control thereof.

'11. A uid pressure control unit for ignition apparatus comprising, incombination, an expansion chamber; an apertured closure for the chamber;a bellows within the chamber attached to the said closure; a recessednut threaded into the aperture of said closure; an operative for saidbellows carried by said nut; a spring bearing against said nut andbellows for expanding the same; and a spring bearing against said nutand a portion of the operative for collapsing the bellows.

12. A fluid pressure control unit for ignition apparatus comprising, incombination, an expansion chamber; an apertured closure for the chamber;a bellows within the chamber attached to the said closure; an operativeattached to the bellows and passing through the aperture in the closuremember; a recessed nut adjustably received by the said operative andsurrounding the operative; spring means between the nut and either endof the operative for differentially applying the fluid pressure exertedin the bellows to the operative.

13. A fluid pressure control unit for ignition apparatus comprising, incombination, an expansion chamber; an apertured closure for the chamber;a bellows within the chamber attached to the said closure; an operativeattached to the bellows and passing through the aperture in the closuremember; a recessed nut adjustably received by the said operative, andsurrounding the operative, and differential spring mechanism engagingthe nut, the bellows and the operative.

'14. A fluid pressure controlling unit for attachment and forcontrolling an ignition timer, comprising in combination an expansionchamber; a pneumatic within the chamber havingits base ortion fixed toan apertured wall of the chamber; means supporting the chamber so as toface the said timer; an operating member attached to the movable wall ofthe pneumatic and extending through the aperture of said chamber wallfor connection to said timer; spring seating means reciprocably engagingsaid member and threadedly engaged by said chamber wall; an expansionspring within the pneumatic seated against the movable pneumatic walland the said means; and a collapsing spring without the pneumatic seatedagainst the said means and an abutment on said member.

15. The mechanism recited in claim 14, in which the expansion andcollapsing springs are of differential capacity.

16. The mechanism recited in claim 14, in which the spring seating meansis ad'ustable to vary the diflerential relation of tiev fluid pressureunit.

17. Themechanism recited in claim 14, in which the collapsing spring ischaracterized by the greater motive force.

18. llhe mechanism recited in claim 14, in which the abutment of thecollapsing spring is adjustable to vary the differential relation of thefluid pressure unit.

19. Ignition apparatus comprising, in combination, an ignition circuitinterrupter including a circuit breaker lever and an engine driven camfor operating the lever, means responsive to engine suction foreffecting an angular adjustment between the cam and lever, said meansincluding a. suction chamber and a displacement member therein,differentially acting springs for controlling the displacement member,and means for concurrently adjusting said springs.

20. Ignition apparatus comprising, in combination, an ignition circuitinterrupter including a circuit breaker lever and an engine driven camfor operating the lever, means responsive to engine suction for efrecting an angular adjustment between the cam and lever, said meansincluding a suction chamber and a displacement member therein, meanssupporting said chamber so as to face said interrupter, a linkagebetween the displacement member and said lever, (lif ferentiaiiy actingsprings for controlling the dispiacement member, and means forconcurrently adjusting said springs.

Q1. ignition apparatus comprising, in combination, an ignition circuitinterrupter including circuit breaker lever and an engine driven cam foroperating the lever, means responsive to engine suction for eifecting anangular adjustment between the cam and lever, said means including asuction chamber and a. displacement member therein, an adjustable nutcarried by the chamber, difierentially acting s rin seated on the nutfor controlling t e displacement member, said nut providing means forconcurrently adjusting said springs.

22. Ignition apparatus comprising, in combination, an ignition circuitinterrupter including a circuit breaker lever and" an engine driven camfor operating the lever, means responsive to engine suction foreffecting an angular adjustment between the cam and lever, said meansincluding a suc- JAMES L. ARTHUR.

